You've been framed.

Who thinks up all these rubbish titles?
Anyway, having laid the ground cover, and attached it to two sides, this was step one:

 Yesterday's work was the get up the main structure, and this is how we left it at the close of play (well, roughly - the end bit that's on the ground in this picture was actually attached, as was the slide):

 This morning saw the addition of the monkey bars...

 ...followed by the first bit of roof (I can stand up under it)

 ... and the other bit of roof (yes, there's a bit of wood missing)

 This is the view from the climbing frame, complete with little boy dying to go on it.

 At last!  Play time.

 

The view from space.

 Project for the holidays:
Build a climbing frame.  Easier said than done.  Climbing frame is the sort that I'm sure must be visible from space.  Climbing frame needed sanding down and painting.  Painting, painting, painting, painting.  I think it took about 2 1/2 lifetimes, or that's what it felt like, anyway.
I did think that maybe I should just make it like this:

 But after careful consideration, I decided that Joshua would probably struggle to get up the pole to the slide.  It was, however, very tempting.  The plan is to put a boundary around the area, lay some ground covering fabric stuff, build the frame in the middle, and add about 5 tonnes of chipped wood.
Here are some of the climbing frame bits.

 The question is, why are we building (I say we...) a climbing frame when he has so many trees?

More to come tomorrow - it's going to be finished then.  (Wishful thinking?  You bet!)

Jesus and the three little pigs

Well, it's about time for another contribution from Joshua...
Tonight, we sort of ran out of time for a story, but as I was tucking him in, he asked, "Can I tell you a story".
I agreed, and was then informed that it was actually the same story as last week, but the ending.  Here it is:

"There were two little pigs, and they settled down together ..." (ok, I'm going to have to confess, I lost track briefly here - I'm tired and the story wasn't exactly grabbing me at this point.  However, I did tune back in when this happened:)
"Then the pigs ran to the brick house and they got into the brick house and the big bad wolf came.  Then Jesus came up in the sky, and said, "What's going on?", and the big bad wolf said, "Nothing".
"Then I [this is still Joshua speaking] came along, and I said, "Something is going on"".
"That's the end of the story."
"It's a true story because Jesus was in it."

I thought it lacked a certain something, personally (like a satisfying conclusion, for one!), but did like the link between Jesus and truth.  Perhaps that's how heresies start though.
We then had prayers.  After a brief silence, Joshua said, 'Come on!' (indicating I shouldn't be silent, I should be praying) I said I'd like him to pray first, and he came up with:
"Thank you Lord Jesus that the pigs got to the brick house so they were safe, Amen"
I have to say it was a struggle to get my prayer finished without completely cracking up.